kaskade

Keeping house music deep and touring with Pioneer

Because the term “EDM” has only recently come into common use, it’s sometimes thought the form itself is new, though its antecedents stretch back several decades—something Ryan Raddon, better known by his stage name, Kaskade, is more than willing to tell the world.

“I grew up outside of Chicago. This is where house music was born,” he says. Though house was an underground scene in much of the country, The Windy City was an exception. “In the mid- ’80s, house was being played on the radio in Chicago. It was that popular in this little area. At the time, I would go to the record store to buy music [and] buy a 12” single. That was the format back then. You could buy a cassette tape or a 12” and I thought 12” felt cool. It was big— the artwork was really big. So I took it home and started messing around on my parents’ record player, breaking it. It’s a long story to get from that point to where I’m currently at, but really, I just followed my passion and it led me here.”